But the European counter-proposal also came with several conditions for the alliance: a non-aggression pact between NATO and Russia, a vow not to place allied troops in Ukraine permanently, and a pledge to station NATO fighter jets in Poland.
Until now, “NATO has been on the sidelines,” said Ed Arnold, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank. That diminished role is partly due to geopolitics, he said: Its “involvement would provoke a broader issue with Russia that the organization hasn’t wanted to do thus far.”
Putin invoked those fears again on Tuesday with fresh saber-rattling. “We are not going to fight with Europe, I have already said this a hundred times,” he said ahead of the talks with Witkoff. “But if Europe wants to fight with us, we are ready to do so right now.”
Mind the gap
Behind closed doors, some allies feel Washington could have consulted them more on the peace process.
On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker formally briefed his fellow envoys on the talks for the first time, according to two NATO diplomats who were granted anonymity to speak freely on the sensitive matter. The belated briefing came almost two weeks after the initial draft proposal was leaked.
Adding fuel to those concerns, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend Wednesday’s meeting, with his deputy Christopher Landau participating instead.